Hello! Stylo 40 years
~A pen nib adored around the world~
A pen nib with character,
a fountain pen, yet not a fountain pen.
Stylo's
Manufacturing
Technique Manager
（since release date）
Noboru Yoshimura
Stylo's
Research and
Development Manager
（since release date）
Daisaburo Azuma
Q.Fountain pens are often made with metal nibs. Why did Pentel develop a plastic fountain pen nib?
A.In the 1970s, a fountain pen was considered a very expensive writing utensil. It was at that time that the company requested to me to o create a fountain pen that would be affordable for all. My solution was to create a fountain pen that did not have a conventional metal nib, but a plastic nib.
Following a great amount of development work, the Stylo plastic fountain pen was released in 1979.
Q.Stylo is said by its fans to have a writing feel found nowhere else. How did the Stylo pen nib with this writing sensation come into being?
A.To create an affordable pen from plastic, we started with consideration of the structure itself. For the nib, we created a thin rod and employed a method by which ink is conveyed by capillary action through numerous minute pores. We designed the nib with a finely shaved point for writing in any direction. With the application of pen pressure, the point divides slightly into two. It’s even possible to write horizontally. We designed the holder that restrains the nib with differing lengths front and back, so that the pliability changes front and back. Doing so resulted in a nib with a unique writing feel.
Q.After the completion of Stylo, what difficulties did you face in production?
A.At launch, Stylo sold explosively as a pen that can be easily used anywhere. However, Stylo's nib has a fine structure in which ink flows through countless pores in the thin rod, and stable mass production heightened the difficulty even for small changes in the molding conditions. Although the nib has an original design, we want to make this a pen with a high productivity rate and which offers an unchanged writing feel whenever it is used. Toward that end, we made repeated fine improvements even after the launch, finally arriving at the Stylo and Tradio of today.
Q.In 2019, Stylo reached the 40th anniversary of its launch. Where does Stylo and its nib continue to see use?
A.After earning acclaim in Japan, Stylo was launched overseas. Orders were particularly high in the Middle East, and a modified Stylo for calligraphy, a Stylo for Arabic writing, and other versions were released. At the time, production of Stylo alone was one million units per month, and the pen became acclaimed for its uniquely distinctive nib and a writing feel that differed for each person.
Even now, Stylo is beloved overseas and continues to see use in over 100 countries and regions.
Why Stylo? Stylo Stories from around the world
The Stylo sketch pen was launched in 1979. A continued favorite of many people for 40 years, it shares its nib with a sibling pen, the Tradio stylo sketch pen. The two have grown into a brand beloved not only in Japan but also in Asia, Europe, the Americas, and around the world.
Now, special ink colors are being released to commemorate the pen's 40th anniversary. These select six colors particularly shine in letters of appreciation and illustrations. In a new era, enjoy the new and retro Stylo!
